Cleaning apparatus.



P. STIRN.

CLEANING APPARATUS.

I APPLICATION FILED OCT. 4, 19|5- 1 176,995 Patented Mar. 28,1916.

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CLEANING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 4, 1915.

1,176,995. Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

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CLEANING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may'concem:

Be it known that I, PETER STIRN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Little Falls, in the county of Morrison and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CleaningApparatus, of which the following is av specification.

The machine which is the subject matter of the present application forpatent is designed for cleaning the dust bags of dustcollectingapparatus used in flouring mills. These bags or receptacles, commonlytermed stockings, soon become clogged with dust when in use, and itthenbecomesnecessary to take the same, out of the apparatus in orderthat the accumulated dust may be 'removed. This is usually done byshaking the bags by hand, a very tedious and dusty operation, andincomplete at the best.

The present invention therefore has for its object to provide a noveland improved machine for effecting the removal of the accumulated dustfrom the bags, thus doing away with the unsanitary and unsatisfactoryhand cleaning process.

The invention also has for its object to provide a machine of thecharacter described, whichis rapid and highlyeflicient in operation,simple and inexpenslve, and which can be operated and maintained at alow cost. a

In order that the invention may be better understood, reference is hadto the accom panying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an end elevation ofthemachine; Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof, partly in section; Fig.3is a plan view of the lower portion of the machine; Fig. 4 is a planviewof the upper portion of the machine; F ig. 5 is a sectional detailshowing the holding means of the bags; Fig. 6 is a plan view of one of.the holding devices of the bottom of the bag, and Fig. 'Tis an edgeview of said device. 1

Referring specifically to the drawings, the supporting stand of themachine comprises legs 10, longitudinal beams 11 and cross beams 12, allsuitably connected and braced in any approved manner. From the crossbeams 12, on each end of the stand, rise standards 13 serving as guidesfor an agitator to be presently described. The stand also supports asuction box 14 connected at fan casing 15 in one end to the inlet of awhich works a rotary fan of the fan casing is shown at 17'. The fanSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 4, 1915. Serial No. 53,971.

16. The outlet Patented Mar. 23, 1916.

is on a shaft 18 passing lengthwise through the suction box, andsupported at its ends in bearings 19 on the cross beams 12.

On one end of the fan shaft 18 is a drive pulley 20, and on the otherend of said shaft is a pinion 21 meshing with a spur gear 22 on acountershaft 23 supported in a bearing 24 on the cross beam 12 at oneside of the machine, and a bearing 25 on a cross beam 26 extendingparallel to said cross beam 12 and suitably supported by the stand. Thecross beams 12 and 26'last mentioned also carry bearings 27 for a shaft28 having a large sprocket Wheel 29 which is connected by a chain 30 toa small sprocket wheel 31 on the countershaft. The shaft 28 is fittedwith a crank handle 32 for turning the same. The fan may therefore beoperated manually by means of the crank handle; or it may bepower-driven by belting the pulley 20 to a suitable source of power.

Between the standards 13, above the suctionbox 14, is mounted avertically recipro catory cross head, composed of a series of slats 33connected in laterally spaced, parallel relation, by endcross bars 34and an intermediate cross bar 35. To each end of the end bars 34 aresecured depending and converging bars 36 carrying at their lower ends aguide shoe 37 slidably mounted on the adjacent standard 13. 'On theunder side of the slats 33 are rigidly mounted channel bars 38, one'oneach slat, and eX- tending in the direction of the length thereof. Abovethe cross head, the standards 13 are connected bya cross beam 39, on topof which latter is secured, midway between its ends to its free endsdepending rods 41. The ends of the cross bar carry guides 42 shaped tostraddle the standards 13 and having perforated ears 43 for connectionof the rods 41, the latter passing throughthe ears and being secured bynuts 44 abutting against the under side of the ears. The rods 41 arethreaded to receive the nuts 44, and the latter also serve; as a meansfor tension of thespring 40.

Above the cross head are located tappets for forcing the same downwardagainst the tension of the spring 40. These tappets are mounted on ashaft 45 supported in bearings 46 on the standards 13, and havingasprocket wheel 47'which is connected by a chain 48 to a sprocket wheel49 on the shaft 28. Two sets of tappets are provided,

an ellipticspring 40 having attached adj usting the each comprising arms50 radiating from a hub 51 made fast on the shaft 45. The outer end ofeach tappet arm carries a lateral pin 52 on which is mounted a roller53. When the shaft 15 is in motion, the rollers 53 successively strike acushion block 54 on the cross bar 35, and force the cross head downwardagainst the tension of the spring 40, and as each roller clears thecushion block, the spring draws the cross head back with a sudden jerk,thus shaking the dust out of the bags carried by the cross head as willbe presently described. The blocks 54: are of wood, and leather faced.

The bags to be cleaned are shown at 55. As shown, the bags are suspendedin inverted position from the cross head, their upper ends being securedin the channels of the bars 38. A wooden block 56 is inserted in thebottom of the bag and the bag is then inverted, and the upper endcontaining the block is slid into the channel of one of the bars 88. Thesides of the channel have mturned flanges 57 to hold the block. Themouth of the bag is now at the bottom, and this end is secured by a clipover an aperture 58 in the top of the suction box 14. This clipcomprises a sheet metal plate 59 suitably secured on top of the suctionbox,

over the aperture 58, and having a circular opening 60 in line with saidaperture. From this opening a flared slot 61 extends to and opensthrough the edge of the plate. Adjacent to the opening 60 and the slot61, the plate has a raised portion 62 which is spaced from the top ofthe suction box. The mouth of the bag 55 is provided with a ring 63 forholding the same open. .This portion of the bag is slipped under theraised portion 62 of the clip plate, by passing the lower end of the bagalong the slot 61 and into the opening 60. The bag is now held at bothends, with the mouth over the aperture 58. The suction box 14 has alarge number of apertures 58 and clips 59, and the channel bars 38accommodate a large number of bags, to give the machine a maximumcapacity. The contracted inner end of the slot 61 prevents the bag fromaccidentally slipping out of the opening 60.

In operation, the bags being suspended from the cross head and securedat their lower ends as described, the shaft 28 is put in motion,whereupon the cross head is alternately forced down by the tappets andup by the spring as already described, and the fan 16 is'also operatedto exhaust the box 14. The bags are thus jarred or shaken, and the dustis sucked into the box 14: by. the fan and delivered into a suitablereceptacle. The agitation of the bags jars the dust loose, and the bagsare thoroughly and rapidly relieved of all dust and dirt. A few strokesup and down the bags with a brush completes the operation.

The machine is inexpensive, rapid in operation, and it effectuallyserves the purpose for which it is designed, all the dust and litter ina mill, caused by the hand cleaning process, being eliminated. Themachine will also clean torn or worn bags so that the same may berepaired, and it is simple and easily operated, and the bags can bereadily mounted for the cleaning operation, and removed from themachine. The machine can be adjusted for bags of different lengths byraising or lowering the tappet shaft 45 and by a correspondingadjustment of the connection between the,

spring and the cross head. The sizes of the dust inlets of the suctionbox and the clips will depend on the diameter of the bags, the samebeing readily varied to suit all sizes of bags. A tightenersprocket'wheel 64 is provided for the chain 18, the same being carriedby an arm 65 mounted on one of the standards 13.

I claim:

1. A machine for cleaning the dust bags of dust-collecting apparatus,comprising a suction box having inlet apertures, a reciprocatory bagsupport, means for suspending the bags from said support in invertedposition, means for securing the mouths of the bags over the inletapertures, means for reciprocating the bag support to jar the bags, afan for the suction box, and a drive shaft operatively connected to thefan and to the aforesaid reciprocating means.

2. A machine for cleaning the dust bags of dust-collecting apparatus,comprising a suction box having inlet apertures, a reciprocatory bagsupport, channel bars on the bottom of said support, means for clampingthe bottoms of the bags in the channels of said bars, the bags beingsuspended from the channel bars in inverted position, means for securingthe mouths of the bags over/the inlet apertures, and means forreciprocating the bagsupport to jar the. bags. I I 1 3. A machine forcleaning the dust bags of dust-collecting apparatus, comprising.asuction box having inlet apertures, a recip rocatory bag support, meansfor suspending plates, and means for reciprocating the bag support tojar the bags.

r 4:. A machine for cleaning the dust bags of dust-collecting apparatus,comprising a suction box having inlet apertures, a reciprocatory bagsupport, channel bars on the t m of a d pport, means for l mp ng.

the mouths of the bags extending into the openings and being held underthe raised portions of the clip plates, and means for reciprocating thebag support to jar the bags.

5. A machine for cleaning the dust bags of dust-collecting apparatus,comprising a suction box having inlet apertures, a reciprocatory bagsupport, means for suspending the bags from said support in invertedposition, means for securing the mouths of the bags over the inletapertures, tappets engageable with the bag support to force the same-inone direction, a spring for returning the bag support, a fan for thesuction box, and a drive shaft operatively connected to the fan and tothe tappets.

6. A machine for cleaning the dust bags of dust-collecting apparatus,comprising a suction box having inlet apertures, a reciprocatory bagsupport, means for suspending the bags from said support in invertedposition, means for securing the mouths of the bags over the inletapertures, tappets engageable with the bag support-to force the same inone direction, a spring for returning the bag support, a shaft carryingthe tappets, a drive shaft operatively connected to the tappet shaft, acountershaft driven by the drive shaft, and a fan for the suction boxhaving its shaft geared to the countershaft. 1 a

7, A machine for cleaning the dust bags of dust-collecting apparatus,comprising a supporting stand, laterally-spaced stationary standardsrising therefrom, a stationary suc- Copies of this patent may beobtained forflve cents each, by addressing the tion box supported by thestand at the bottom of the standards and having inlet apertures, areciprocatory cross head mounted between the standards above the suctionbox, guides on the cross head engaging the standards, bag suspensionmeans on the under side of the cross head, means for securing the mouthsof the bags over the inlet apertures of the suction box, and means forreciprocating the cross head to jar the bags.

8. A machine for cleaning the dust bags of dust-collecting apparatus,comprising a suction box having inlet apertures, a reciprocatory crosshead working above the suction box, a single means for securing aplurality of bags in pendent and inverted posi tion on the under side ofthe cross head, means for securing the mouths of the bags over the inletapertures of the suction box, and means for reciprocating the cross headto jar the bags.

9. A machine for cleaning the dust bags of dust-collecting apparatus,comprising laterally spaced standards, a cross beam con necting thestandards at the top, a leaf spring fixed intermediate its ends on thecross beam and projecting at its ends beyond the standards, areciprocatory cross head carried by the standards beneath the crossbeam, a connection between the cross head and the ends of the spring, asuction box beneath the cross head, said box having inlets, means forsuspending the bags from the bottom of the cross head in invertedposition, means for securing the mouths of the bags to the inlets of thesuction box, and ta ppets engageable with the cross head.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

PETER STIRN.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

